The eighth dan Chang Moo Kwan Grand Master learned only last week that he will receive Taekwondo’s highest accolade in New York later this year.
The honour comes after more than 35 years’ service to taekwondo as a practitioner, instructor, international referee and examiner.
The achievement is all the more significant since he did not enter the sport until quite late in life and only came across it while looking for something for his son, Jeff, who was eight at the time, to do.
Mr Whiley, a former primary school deputy head teacher, said: “I would sit at the back of the class and watch. I was 31 or 32 years old I think. I got itchy feet and I was sat next to one of the other fathers and said ‘should we not have a go’.”
When the other father declined, and inspired by watching a 17-year-old black belt complete a Poomse Koryo (a routine), he decided to give it a go.
He said: “When I watched him do it I was spellbound. I thought, ‘God, I would like to be able do that’.”
He never looked back and even though his son gave up the sport when he reached his black tag at age 16, Mr Whiley continued, impressed by the many aspects of taekwondo.
He said: “I began to realise that there was more the taekwondo than just blocking kicking and striking and was pleased to think that my son was being taught the tenets of taekwondo, etiquette, modesty, perseverance, self control and indomitable spirit.
“Showing respect to others was also strongly adhered to.”
It was through his wife that Mr Whiley decided to leave his job as a deputy head teacher.
He said: “Klara has supported me all the way. She is the one who encouraged me to leave teaching and become a full time instructor. Without that I never would have got where I am.”
He went on to create a club and affiliate clubs that had more than 600 members covering areas such as Kent, Yorkshire, Lancashire and Tyne and Wear, alongside his Teesdale club, Baek Ho Taekwondo.
Although he was too old to be competitive, the instructor’s students frequently competed in major international events such as the junior world championships winning bronze, the senior world championships, the junior European championships winning gold, and the senior European championships. Through the sport he toured all parts of Europe and the Far East making contacts with some of taekwondo’s top practitioners and regularly arranged for some of them to come to Teesdale.
Although registered with World Taekwondo (WT) as a seventh dan Master, Mr Whiley became somewhat disillusioned when taekwondo was made an Olympic sport.
He said: “I was afraid the martial art would be lost in the glitz of the gold medals.
“To be honest there is nothing wrong with the Olympic side because it has brought a lot of people into the sport side of it. But I am interested in the martial art.” Thus he joined a more “old school” organisation called Chang Moo Kwan, where he is recognised as an eighth dan Grand Master. The highest rank in taekwondo is the very rare ninth dan.
Although the 69-year-old gave up being a full-time instructor four years ago, he continues to complete gradings and exams for clubs in the area, fills in for other instructors when they are away and runs a class for over 50s every Friday at Butterknowle Village Hall.
Mr Whiley will be inducted into the Taekwondo Hall of Fame at the New York Hilton Midtown Hotel on September 22.
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